Academic Programs Catalog

College of Engineering

Department of Computational Mathematics, Science and Engineering

Graduate Study
Computational Mathematics, Science and Engineering - Master of Science

The Master of Science degree in Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering provides students broad and deep knowledge of the fundamental techniques used in computational modeling and data science, as well as significant exposure to at least one application domain.

Admission

Admission to graduate study in computational mathematics, science, and engineering is primarily to the doctoral program. Under certain circumstances, the program may consider application for admission to the master’s degree program for students who wish to earn the master’s degree in preparation for the doctoral program in computational mathematics, science, and engineering, or another doctoral program, or in pursuit of other professional goals.

To be considered for admission to the master's degree, a student must:

  1. have a four-year bachelor’s degree in any area.
  2. have a strong interest in computational and/or data science. 
  3. have taken course work in calculus through differential equations, and have a working knowledge of linear algebra, basic statistics, and basic numerical methods.
  4. be proficient in at least one programming language.
In addition to meeting the requirements of the university and of the College of Natural Science, students must meet the requirements specified below.

Requirements for the Master of Science Degree in Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering

A total of 30 credits is required for the degree under either Plan A (with thesis) or Plan B (without thesis). The student’s program of study must be approved by the student’s guidance committee and must meet the requirements specified below.
Requirements for Both Plan A and Plan B
1.   Complete three of the following courses (9 credits):
CMSE 820 Mathematical Foundations of Data Science 3
CMSE 821 Numerical Methods for Differential Equations 3
CMSE 822 Parallel Computing 3
CMSE 823 Numerical Linear Algebra, I 3
Additional details on applicable course work can be found in the CMSE graduate handbook at www.cmse.msu.edu.
2. Complete additional course work in one or more cognate areas chosen in consultation with the student’s guidance committee as specified in the CMSE graduate handbook at www.cmse.msu.edu.
3. All students must complete Responsible Conduct of Research Training.
Additional Requirements for Plan A:
1. The following course:
CMSE 899 Master’s Thesis Research 4 to 8
2. Successful completion and defense of a thesis based on original research on a problem in computational and/or data science. The thesis research will culminate in a written thesis to be submitted to, and accepted by, a guidance committee. An oral examination of the student’s work may be required.
Additional Requirements for Plan B:
1. Completion of additional course work determined in consultation with the student’s guidance committee.
2. Completion of a final examination or evaluation.